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Letters Ken Starr's $40 million was well spent
According to the letter by Charles Walton in the Feb. 17 issue of the Los Gatos Weekly-Times, Tom Campbell is a cad.
And so the partisan attacks continue on anyone who believes Clinton is not fit to fill the esteemed office of the presidency of the United States of America.
Clinton perjured himself in a civil rights case; he obstructed justice in the same civil rights case, he lied to us and the court and the grand jury and the U.S. Senate. His partisan friends interfered with the jury in the impeachment trial by threatening and blackmailing all the senators.
I find that the $40 million that Starr spent putting many of Clinton's spear-carriers in jail was money well spent. It is too bad that the 47 Clinton people who have fled the country or pleaded their 5th Amendment rights in order to not incriminate themselves in the Clinton criminal conspiracy, have been able to escape telling the rest of the story about Clinton. It would obviously make his image a lot less enticing to even the blind partisans now attacking honest people who want better standards for people filling the office of the President.
The $40 million Starr spent is small potatoes compared to the $1.5 billion Clinton spent at the Wye conference in an effort to distract us from his impeachment problems. The $40 million is small potatoes compared to the more than $100 million he spent destroying the aspirin factory in the Sudan in an effort to distract us.
The $40 million is small potatoes compared to the billions we are spending now to protect our citizens from people all over the world as a result of Clinton's failed foreign policy.
I only hope that when people like Charles Walton realize through further revelations and further reflection what a disgusting team the Clinton team is, that he and others will stop their blind partisan attacks on honest people trying to save this country from the likes of the disgusting team.
Yes, Tom Campbell is a politician. And like the majority of politicians, he is an honest man who votes his conscience. Too bad that not all politicians are honest and able to put our country ahead of their partisan fervor.
Don Wolf
Los Gatos
Homeless cartoon was mean-spirited
DeCinzo's homeless cartoon was very mean spirited! As coordinators of the St. Luke's Food Pantry and Soup Kitchen and as members of the Los Gatos Interfaith Outreach, we were appalled and saddened by it.
We have come to know and care about our local homeless clients. Some do have ongoing alcohol and drug related problems, which is why they lost their jobs, but others are consciously and courageously getting their lives together through sobriety, AA, classes at West Valley College, part-time work for local merchants or construction crews.
We were sorry that you seemingly chose to caricature one of our longtime clients, who is sober, caring and outgoing, whose only drugs are medical prescriptions and cranberry juice!
We and others are concerned that Los Gatos does not take seriously enough the necessity for public toilets and, yes, showers. We should note that some of our clients bathe early every morning in the Los Gatos Creek, even in semi-freezing conditions. Many have been seriously ill this winter.
Public toilets and showers are not too much to ask, not only for our homeless clients but for low-income employees who work for our town and mostly go unnoticed. Other communities have provided these services, along with weekly laundromat access. (Other towns also provide public toilets for shoppers doing business downtown. Los Gatos does not!)
It is just too easy and careless for some comfortable, and even affluent, citizens to write homeless people off as "lazy" or "addicted" undeserving poor. Your cartoon only serves to perpetuate the damaging stereotype. Please get to know some of the Los Gatos homeless before you create your next cartoon.
Jo Greiner, Nayan McNeill
Los Gatos
DeCinzo's cartoon is right on target
For once I have to agree with the DeCinzo cartoon in the February 24th issue of the Los Gatos Weekly-Times. The town of Los Gatos is not under any moral or otherwise obligation to provide showers for the homeless. If Ms. Bittman, and her good intentioned but misguided flock, wish to provide showers for the homeless, then they should open up the showers in their homes to them.
As noted, St. Luke's yanked the shower privileges of the homeless after they trashed the place. But I guess it's OK if they trash taxpayer property.
I don't remember ever seeing homeless people carrying around clean bath towels in case they decided to shower. Would the Interfaith Council have the town go into the laundry business and supply towels to the homeless, or should they stand nude outside the showers and air dry?
Perhaps the group pushing the showers should rent a bus and take the homeless to Santa Cruz. There's a big ocean there where they can bathe to their hearts' content. And if some of them decide they enjoy the Santa Cruz area because they want to be closer to the ocean, then the Interfaith Council can sleep well that night, knowing they have found a new city for some homeless people to call home.
Steve Patrick
Los Gatos
Los Gatos is no longer where we want to be
Regarding Susan Anawalt's opinion piece in the Feb. 17 issue of the Los Gatos Weekly-Times, My husband and I have been expressing the same sentiments exactly to anyone who will listen, whether they are residents of Los Gatos or visitors. We couldn't have said it better ourselves. The only thing missing in the "malling of Los Gatos" is a video arcade and a roof!
When we moved back here in 1995 (after being born here in 1950 and married in the house in which we lived in Los Gatos in 1972), we vowed to work diligently to pay off our mortgage as quickly as possible so that we may retire here.
Even in the last three years, we have seen the quality of life decline for those of us who live here, in favor of development and sales-tax revenue from large chain stores to pay for the infrastructure required to support increased traffic and people in town. It seems to be a chicken/egg scenario that will not cease until there is no more space or charm left in Los Gatos.
The hotel to be built across the street from the high school is pretty much the straw that broke the camel's back. We have decided that we will not be retiring in Los Gatos. The small-town charm which drew us back will be long gone by then.
Chris Sanders, Brooke Sanders
Los Gatos
Don't let Los Gatos become a shopping center
Bravo to Susan Anawalt! We have lived in Los Gatos for more than 25 years, and for the past several years we have been mystified about Town Council decisions regarding development. We have watched the approval of one ill-conceived development after another and sadly witnessed the changing character of our surroundings as our town increasingly resembles a strip mall.
But we had no idea that this was a consciously held plan on the part of town councilmembers [as her commentary suggested may be the case]. Thank you, Susan, for clarifying this.
We, too, hope that this process of turning Los Gatos into a shopping center can be stopped.
Bonnie and Richard Payne
Los Gatos
Campbell voted his conscience
In his letter in the Feb. 17 issue of the Los Gatos Weekly-Times, Charles Walton stated that Clinton's impeachment hurts the President's ability to govern. Don't you think his ability to govern may have been impaired when he was on the phone with a congressman while being "distracted" by his "no sex" act with Monica?
The harsh effect on his family was a result of Clinton's actions. He should have thought of his wife and daughter before committing his latest act of adultery.
Clinton's punishment has not been harmful to the country. His crimes have been.
A president's character and actions are the country's business. You ask what his offenses are--perjury, obstruction of justice, disgracing the office of the President, and lying to the American people.
Ken Starr and Tom Campbell did not dishonor the presidency or damage the country. Bill Clinton did.
We have great respect for Congressman Campbell who chose to vote on the factual evidence, not with the polls.
Georgia Rabe
Los Gatos
Public showers would send wrong message
I am writing about the idea of providing public shower and/or toilet facilities in the downtown area. While I laud activist Rosemary Bittman's efforts to improve life for the homeless, her efforts are misdirected.
Rather than striving to make homelessness a more viable option by providing additional services and facilities, we should be aiming to eliminate homelessness altogether.
I found it interesting that Ms. Bittman appears sympathetic to St. Luke's decision to close its public shower facility because users' neglect "caused extensive water damage." She expresses no qualms, however, about passing the responsibility, cost and potential problems to the town's taxpayers.
Homelessness is, in some situations, a choice. In other cases, it is a result of emergencies that render a person or family without shelter. In previous times, friends, relatives, neighbors and community organizations, such as religious groups, stepped in to provide financial and housing assistance to the affected individuals.
Now, in the era of "let someone else fix it," the government is expected by many to repair all the community's ails.
But by providing amenities such as lavatories and showers, we are not discouraging or eradicating homelessness. Instead, we are setting up a situation where homelessness is more acceptable and tolerable, both by those living without shelter and by the rest of the community. The end result is that we have exacerbated the root problem.
Let's not help people be homeless; let's help them find a home.
Lain Ehmann
Los Gatos
Aegis housing proposal is much needed
Just in case we haven't noticed, folks born and raised in the valley along with the young couples who were settled here by expanding new companies several decades ago are now our senior citizens. While many have made the transition to retirement havens most are still living in high-maintenance homes that are too big, and too lonely. With the onset of developing health and mobility problems, couples and singles often seek other types of housing. For the population who continues to remain active and can cope with the requirements of daily life, more independent living developments that embrace both affordable housing as well as destinations for those more financially secure would be very welcome.
In an area that yearns for this type of transition housing, it is a pity that we have so little to offer. It is evident that people who have lived in Los Gatos for most of their lives want very much to be able to remain here. While not all seniors want to buy into a Continuing Care/Life Care community, those who do are offered a lengthy waiting list at our two excellent facilities.
Now Ageis Assisted Living has approached the town council with plans to build a supportive complex for the elderly on Winchester Boulevard.
True, the location may not be as flawless as the council would like but hey, it's not like we have a wide choice of available tracts, and we have to accept this as fact. I suggest that we consider the proposal from the view that it is imperative that we provide for a major segment of our population.
While lifespans are increasing, that does not negate the need for optional levels of assistance for routine daily living as these folks become older and more frail. Being able to find this support in our own town will be most reassuring to the residents as well as their concerned families.
Several years ago the city of Saratoga rejected an opportunity to provide a community for their elderly, with board members whining about the proposed less-than-perfect location which was subsequently appropriated for million-dollar homes. Today Saratogans bemoan their lack of planning as they witness so many of their seniors scattering to other areas when they require more supportive services.
It would be a huge mistake for us to turn Aegis away even if the site is less than ideal. We can live with it because it is a must-have in our community.
Lee Ann Wolfe
Senior Housing Consultant, Monte Sereno
Our hospital becomes a profit center
A while back, when the citizens of Los Gatos were embroiled in such worthwhile pursuits as wondering if the name of a sports bar was a double entendre, or what part of the human anatomy was represented by the architecture of a certain building, Columbia/HCA quietly stole into town and tore down our hospital.
What is there now bears little resemblance to the Good Samaritan Hospital that we have known, trusted, and maybe taken too much for granted.
Columbia/HCA, a publicly held company that collects hospitals much like Imelda Marcos collects shoes, is not a company that you would expect to win the citizenship award for the healthcare industry. Their lawyers are kept as busy as those from the White House, defending the company against a myriad of lawsuits.
In fact, the U.S. Justice Department has recently asked that just the fraud suits be consolidated, for more efficient handling by the courts. The California Department of Health Services has cited Good Samaritan Hospital, (one can only speculate why they have recently dropped Columbia from the name,) for numerous violations over the past year, most having to do with improper training procedures, and one for patient dumping.
In a "for profit" mode, decisions are made with the emphasis on the bottom line, not the quality of patient care. Now, I am an avowed capitalist, but if I were in the hospital, as much as I respect my accountant, I wouldn't want him calling the shots with regard to my medical care.
Columbia buys private hospitals, having recently completed the purchase of Alexian Brothers in San Jose, then they go through them with an extremely sharp pencil, cutting a penny here and there, and voila, you now have a profit center that can be spun-off at a handsome gain.
When they first acquired Good Samaritan, Columbia made its initial strokes of that sharp pencil in the personnel ranks, laying off many critically needed nurses and others, preferring to fill the gaps with overtime, thus avoiding paying additional sets of benefits to additional employees. The cost of the overtime is passed on, and the patient receives an exhausted nurse, that he or she pays time-and-a-half for.
As Columbia's reputation continues to tarnish (hardly anyone has gone on record as saying "We love 'em"), they are spinning off large numbers of hospitals under the name of Triad and Lifepoint. Let's face it, you don't change a name if it's a good name. At "Good Sam" the name is now, again, the same, but the quality and the price are gone forever.
Chuck Weber
Los Gatos
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Los Gatos, California Since 1881
